Chocolates, Ice Cream and Cake...

I would like to highlight some unique treats I've tried in the past few weeks-

CHOCOLATES:

At the Utah Entrepreneurial Challenge Awards Banquet (go, Brittany!), I tried a sample of chocolate from the Ogden, Utah company (and finalist in this competition) Chocolot. This is by far one of the most unique chocolate companies I have ever heard of. Here is their website- http://www.sweetchocolot.com/. Their chocolates are works of art (with various shapes and colors for different flavors), and they taste delicious! They won a business plan competition at Westminster College (but sadly, they did not win the UEC competition). I've never seen such color on chocolate before- I love the authenticity and creativity! The owners are very passionate about what they do; which is something that I really admire.

ICE CREAM:

I went to a BYU Ballroom Dancing concert this last Saturday at the Marriott Center in Provo. Utah County is a different place, I'll tell you that. BUT- they have amazing dancing teams, and now that I've tried it, AMAZING ice cream! The place is called Sub Zero Ice Cream (http://www.subzeroicecream.com/index-1.html). It was PACKED with college kids (being 9 p.m. on a Saturday night and all), but the wait wasn't too bad. The rundown is basically this- you pick a cream (either rice milk, low-fat milk, custard, or 14%), then a flavor (mine was amaretto- yummy), and then mix-ins (mine was almond joy). Sub Zero employees put the milk, flavoring, and candy in a metal bowl, then stick it under a liquid nitrogen canister, pour liquid nitrogen in the bowl, producing a cool, smoky effect. Then they stir it for about 10 seconds, and voila- you have ice cream. There are TONS of flavor and mix-in combinations, so you are sure to find what you need to get your ice cream fix.

What a cool place! Who would have thought to make ice cream like this?! It's a lot faster than an ice cream machine, that's for sure. I would definitely go back. They have locations in Idaho and Utah- but this is a Utah original. And the best part- they do catering! Can you imagine this at a wedding? I would totally go to the reception.

CAKE:

I was in charge of dessert for a family get together for Easter. I found an EASY and FAST recipe on Allrecipes.com called Coconut Cream Cake. Basically, it's Better-Than-You-Know-What cake, coconut style. It is EXCELLENT. Such an awesome twist on (what could have been) a boring and common cake. I almost like it better than the chocolate and caramel kind. I have grown accustomed to thinking that desserts have to be chocolate to be rich and delicious. But this coconut cake has proved me wrong. Enjoy!

Coconut Cream Cake
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 (14 ounce) can coconut cream
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, oil, water and coconut flavoring. Beat for 2 minutes and pour into 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

In a medium bowl, combine coconut cream with sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth. When cake comes out of the oven, poke holes into it in even rows using a large fork or chopsticks. Pour milk mixture over, allowing it to soak into the cake. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

In a large bowl, whisk cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue whipping until stiff. Spread over cooled cake. Sprinkle top with flaked coconut.